Heel-retainer for shoes.



J. KOPPE.

HEEL RETAINER FOB. SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25 1912.

JG 2% W 6 W n m w O, a Q 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\ JOSEPH KOPPE, OF CANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GILLIAM MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CANTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

HEEL-RETAINER FOR SHOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

Application filed May 25, 1912. Serial No. 699,695.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH Korea, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Heel-Retainers for Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in heel retainers for shoes more especially designed for use in connection with Oxford shoes; and the objects of my improvement are, to generally improve devices of the character mentioned, to provide means which may be readily attached to the shoe to prevent the same from slipping up and down upon the heel of the wearer when in use, and to so construct said means that it may be easily and cheaply made, readily applied to either new or old shoes, and adapted in either case to conform to and embrace the heel of the wearer of the shoe in such way to be very comfortable and efficient. These objects together with other objects readily apparent to those skilled in the art I attain by the construction and arrangement shown and hereinafter described.

In the accompanying draWingFigure 1 is a perspective view of the heel portion of an Oxford shoe showing a retainer of my invented construction properly located and attached. Fig. 2 is a front plan view of the retainer showing its shape before. being placed in a shoe. Fig. 8 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

More specifically describing the construction disclosed in said drawings the numeral 1 indicates the counter of an Oxford shoe and 2 the insole thereof. The retainer comprises a body portion 3 preferably formed of leather having an undressed side turned to the front and a dressed side turned to the rear. The lower edge of said body portion is preferably straight as shown in Fig. 2 and its upper edge curved as shown in said figure, the said upper edge at the ends of said body portion curving down to the lower edge. ()u the back of the body portion 3 is provided a coating of glue or other adhesive substance l, said glue or other substance being of such a nature that when moistened and brought into contact with the surface of the lining 5 of the shoe it will adhere to said lining to fasten the retainer-firmly in place. Upon the front face of the retainer, and set inwardly slightly from the curved edge thereof is a friction strip (3 formed of felt or similar material attached to the body portion 3 by glue, cement, stitching. or other practical means, said strip extending from the lower straight edge of said body portion at one end around the curved edge of said body portion and down to the straight edge thereof at the other end. Said strip produces a soft, somewhat yielding projection or rib in the nature of a friction rib and is designed to lie against; the stocking of the wearer. thereby preventing any slipping movement as between the heel portion of the shoe and said foot, thus holding the shoe against slipping or displacement. Ii'itermediate the ends of the retainer the body portion is provided at the lower edge with a series of notches 7 adapted to prevent undue wrinkling or buckling 0f the device at that. point when same is placed in osition in a shoe.

It will e understood that retainers such as described may be manufactured and sold independently of the SllfiCS, so that the wearer of a pair of shoes which have become worn, stretched or misshapen and therefore liable to slipping action upon the footmay purchase a pair of such retainers and readily apply same to said shoes, whereupon it will be found that such slipping action will be entirely obviated. Such retainers may also be placed in new shoes to produce a more perfect tit in some instances and to cause the counter of the shoe to fit the heel in a more proper and snug manner.

In attaching one of the retainers to a shoe it is only necessary to moisten the adhesive substance 4, then bend or curve the retainer into the position illustrated in Fig. l and bring said adhesive substance into intimate contact with the lining of the shoe whereupon said adhcsive substance will form a strong and substantial connection between said retainer and said shoe, the retainer and the felt strip thereof assuming the position illustrated in Fig. 1 where it will be noted that the lmverstraight edge of the retainer conforms to the top surface of the insole 2, the notches 7 preventing buckling at the rear of the heel, and the felt stri 6 extends from the insole forwardly of t e heel up and around the inner top edge of the counter as hereinbefore described.

Attention should be called to the fact that not only the felt strip (3 but also the undressed surface of the leather forming the body portion of the retainer is turned toward the stocking thereby increasing the frictional hold as between said retainer and said stocking and assisting in preventing the slipping of the shoe.

Having fully described my invention What I claii'i as new and desire to secure by Letters l atent, is

For a shoe a heel retainer comprising a body portion provided with a straight lower edge and a curved upper edge, said upper edge curved down to meet the lower edge at the ends thereof, said body portion adapted to conform to and engage the side and back heel lining of said shoe, means for attaching said body portion to said lining and said body portion provided with a forwardly projecting rib extending from the lower straight edge of the same at one end thereof, around the said curved upper edge to the straight edge thereof at the other end and adapted to conform to and embrace the heel of the wearer of said shoe.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH KOPPE.

lVitnesses JOHN H. Bisiior,

l l i i i l l 1' W. H. MILLER. 

